State Dep Closes 2 Swimming Areas

July 23, 1998

The state Department of Environmental Protection on Wednesday closed the swimming areas at Mashamoquet Brook State Park in Pomfret and John A. Minetto State Park in Torrington, after tests found elevated levels of bacteria in the water. The swimming area at Wharton Brook State Park in Wallingford remains closed from Tuesday.

Twenty-one swimming areas are tested weekly by the DEP. The swimming areas that remain open include the state's three coastal swimming areas -- Hammonasset, Rocky Neck and Sherwood Island.

Robert Smith, chief of the DEP's Water Management Bureau, said the closed areas will be retested and officials hope to reopen them by the weekend.